In previous posts, we’ve covered some of the challenges that automotive is facing. These included; changing consumer expectations, the need for better data to improve operational efficiencies and to enhance the consumer experience, as well as changes regarding the connected car/mobility paradigm shift.

The 2016 NADA convention promises to be the most digitally focused convention ever. Look for workshops that focus on enhanced digital marketing strategies, using technology to improve the consumer experience, the connected car, cybersecurity, and leveraging data to improve dealer’s bottom lines.

Ask almost anyone concerned with the business side of automotive retail and they will recognize the term DMS or Dealer Management System. The DMS model can trace its ancestry back to the earliest car dealerships, long before software based systems arrived.

As the name implies, a DMS was designed to help dealers manage their dealerships. The first systems were focused on managing the basic aspects of a dealership: accounting, inventory and possibly service. This allowed the dealer to manage their business, and handle basic accounting and reporting. In the U.S., the DMS software landscape was quickly dominated by a couple of large players and many OEMs focused their integration efforts on these systems. Initially, few could argue that this made sense from a business and technology standpoint. Several trends have now come into play that have many within the industry questioning if this focus is still necessary or even desirable.

We’ve published several articles in this blog about expanding the functionality in Motive Integrator, refining our processes for Dealer System Certification, and even Self Certification. Our organization has made huge strides toward providing Subscribers and Publishers with the tools needed to effectively implement and test integrations.